Wildland Firefighters 2001

Last year I tried to keep up with all the incidents that related to the deaths of individuals involved in Wildland Fire Fighting. Sometimes the incidents were not related to actual fire fighting, such as those individuals, which were killed in a helicopter crash enroute to a school field day activity that was to include the helicopter and crew as a fire prevention display. However, they were performing their assigned duty and they were members of the wildland firefighter family. I am by no means a full-time wildland firefighter, but I do have a very special spot for those individuals that have chosen that field as their profession. They may not make the same amount of pay as some of us and then again they may make more than others. Their actual workdays may be a lot longer than most of us in the structural field and their work year may not be as long, but they are dedicated to their profession. Where those of us in the structural profession we suffer from falls, back injuries and short-term exposures to toxic smoke. They suffer from blown knees, shoulders, and exposure to smoke, ash, and dust for days on end. We all share the same things: one thing we all should agree with, "We love what we do!", "We sometimes may not agree with the 'Politics' that we work with.", and "We all have some areas that we dislikes about the job."

The one part which I dislike most is reading about the loss of a fellow firefighter be it Wildland or Structural. Each month, I read the statistics to my department membership: Names, ages, positions, and causes of death. Most important to me is that we need to remember those individuals that have given all that they could to the profession. Also it should act as a reminder to the rest of us that no matter what our age, position, or duty it could happen to us.

With that, I submit to you the 2001 list of Wildland Firefighters that have given all they had. I do not like to post any information to quickly; this is just to make sure that the information is correct. I hope that the list will be short and that all of us shall remember those individuals’ families, fellow workers, friends, and their communities in their times of loss.

MEADVILLE, MS -- Employees on the Homochitto National Forest were saddened Tuesday by the sudden death of an employee.

Mary Lynn Waite, 49, died Tuesday, Feb. 6 after participating in the light level duty "walk test" for Wildland Firefighters. Initial autopsy report attributes her death to an apparent heart attack, Forest Service Officials said. An agency investigation is under way.

Ms. Waite, a computer assistant, had worked on the Homochitto for about two and half years. She had completed a similar light level duty test last year and participated in support of wildfire suppression last summer. She is survived by her husband Mike Waite, Forestry Technician on the Homochitto Ranger District, and three children.

Initial Summary: Firefighter Chandler collapsed and died from a cause still to be determined while operating a water tanker fighting a 20-acre brush fire several miles north of Moses Lake. Funeral: Pending, Memorial Fund: Pending

Initial Summary: Firefighter Thompson, while operating a fire tanker in response to a grass fire, lost control of the vehicle which left the roadway striking a utility pole and overturning. In memory, William L. Thompson Agriculture Scholarship Fund c/o Peoples Bank, 106 S. Main Cross, Flemingsburg, KY 41041

[This message has been edited by Captain Hickman (edited 06-19-2001).]

Initial Summary: Firefighter Devin A. Weaver; Crew Chief Tom L. Craven; and Firefighters Karen L. Fitzpatrick; and Jessica L. Johnson were killed when they were overcome by the Thirty Mile Fire in the Chewuch River Valley, north of Winthrop, WA when it rapidly progressed and grew from approximately 5 acres to over 2500 acres within 2 ½ hours.

Initial Summary: Firefighter Jessica L. Johnson; Crew Chief Tom L. Craven; and Firefighters Karen L. Fitzpatrick; and Devin A. Weaver were killed when they were overcome by the Thirty Mile Fire in the Chewuch River Valley, north of Winthrop, WA when it rapidly progressed and grew from approximately 5 acres to over 2500 acres within 2 ½ hours.

Initial Summary: Firefighter Karen L. Fitzpatrick; Crew Chief Tom L. Craven; and Firefighters Devin A. Weaver; and Jessica L. Johnson were killed when they were overcome by the Thirty Mile Fire in the Chewuch River Valley, north of Winthrop, WA when it rapidly progressed and grew from approximately 5 acres to over 2500 acres within 2 ½ hours.

Initial Summary: Crew Chief Tom L. Craven; Firefighters Karen L. Fitzpatrick; Devin A. Weaver; and Jessica L. Johnson were killed when they were overcome by the Thirty Mile Fire in the Chewuch River Valley, north of Winthrop, WA when it rapidly progressed and grew from approximately 5 acres to over 2500 acres within 2 ½ hours.

Initial Summary: Pilot Doug Gilbert, flying a single engine air tanker and dropping retardant on the north-central Idaho backcountry while battling a 500-acre fire, was killed when for a cause still to be determined the aircraft crashed.

Initial Summary: Firefighter Strode was killed while working a wildland fireline when he was overcome by a firestorm in the densely wooded and steep terrain of the Upper Cumberland Region of Tennessee.

It has been a very sad year for the fire service with the loss of so many our fellow firefighters. If you have been following the information here, you can see that there were 17 firefighters which gave lives in they preparation and performance of the duties of the wildland firefighter. I am sorry to say that I missed one and the total number that I am aware of will be 18. The one I missed was not posted by the United States Fire Administration since he was an individual working for a Contractor with the U.S. Forest Service. If I have missed any others, let me know. I will add the individual to the list shortly. Some were member of local fire departments, some were full-time wildland firefighters, some were employed by private contractors, but all were firefighters. It will take me a little time to come up with information dealing with the incidents reported, but I will post information here. I am not for sure if it is important to post such information, but somewhere, sometime, maybe an individual will stop and think about what they have read. Maybe that small thought will alter and individuals actions in to a Safe Outcome of an Incident. Thank you for your time.Hickman

Here’s what I have ended up with for Line-of-Duty Deaths for individuals involved in Wildland Fire. And, like usual, I have a different set of numbers than the Federal Government, I came up with 18 individuals. As I stated at the beginning of the year, not all involved in actual fire suppression, but were involved in the required duties of a Wildland Firefighter. The one individual that was not listed was a firefighter working for a company that had contracted with Federal or State Agency to provide fire suppression equipment and manpower for wildland fires. Brad Lee Bishop, 25, who was killed when his engine ran off the road and struck a rock embankment on September 7, 2001. He was working on the Lost Fork / Monarch Fire, which was located on the Lewis and Clark National Forest near White Sulphur Springs, Montana. As stated in the report possible cause was falling asleep while driving.